The present disclosure relates to a sample liquid supply container, a sample liquid supply container set, and a microchip set. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a sample liquid supply container or the like which can easily conduct liquid injection to a region formed in a microchip.
In recent years, microchips have been developed in which a well and/or a channel for performing chemical and biological analyses are provided on a silicon substrate or a glass substrate by application of micro-machining techniques used in the semiconductor industry (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-219199). These microchips have begun to be utilized for electrochemical detectors in liquid chromatography, small electrochemical sensors in medical service sites, and the like.
Analytical systems using such microchips are called μ-TAS (micro-Total-Analysis System), lab-on-a-chip, bio chip or the like, and are paid attention to as a technology by which chemical and biological analyses can be enhanced in speed, efficiency and level of integration or by which analyzing apparatuses can be reduced in size.
The μ-TAS, which enables analysis with a small amount of sample and enables disposable use of microchips, is expected to be applied particularly to biological analyses where precious trace amounts of samples or a multiplicity of specimens are treated.
An application example of the μ-TAS is an optical detection apparatus in which a substance is introduced into a plurality of regions formed on the microchip, and the substance is optically detected. Such an optical detection apparatus includes an electrophoresis apparatus capable of electrophoretically separating a plurality of substances in a channel of the microchip to optically detect the respective separated substances, and a reactive apparatus (for example, a real-time PCR apparatus) capable of proceeding a reaction between a plurality of substances in a well of the microchip to detect optically a created substance.
For the μ-TAS, since the sample is a trace amount, it is difficult to introduce the sample solution into the well or channel. Otherwise, due to the air existing in the well or the like, the introduction of the sample solution may be disturbed or a long time may be taken to introduce the sample solution. In addition, at the time of introducing the sample solution, bubbles may be generated in the well or the like. As a result, there is a problem in that a variation occurs between the amounts of the sample solutions to be introduced into the respective wells or the like, so that analysis precision is deteriorated or analysis efficiency is deteriorated. Moreover, when the samples are heated like the PCR, there is a problem in that the bubbles existing in the well or the like are expanded, the reaction is disturbed, so that analysis precision is deteriorated.
In order to easily inject the sample solution in the μ-TAS, for example, a substrate is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-284769, in which the substrate includes a sample introducing portion introducing samples, a plurality of receiving portions receiving the samples, and a plurality of air discharging portions each connected to the respective receiving portions, where two or more of the air discharging portions are communicated with one open channel having one opened terminal. With this substrate, since the air discharging portions are connected to the respective receiving portions, when the sample solution is introduced from the sample introducing portions to the receiving portions, the air existing in the receiving portions is discharged from the air discharging portions, so that the receiving portions can be smoothly filled with the sample solution.